Abortion Trends Amid Restrictions in a Commercially Insured U.S. Population: An Opportunity for Internal Medicine Physicians
Authors: Jennifer L. Michener, Mindy Sobota
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2023)

Editorials24 October 2023Abortion Trends Amid Restrictions in a Commercially Insured U.S. Population: An Opportunity for Internal Medicine PhysiciansJennifer L. Michener, MD, Mindy Sobota, MD, MS, MPhilJennifer L. Michener, MDUniversity of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, ColoradoSearch for more papers by this author, Mindy Sobota, MD, MS, MPhilWarren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode IslandSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M23-2582 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail The American College of Physicians affirms individuals’ rights to make their own health care decisions, in partnership with their physicians, about all reproductive health needs, including abortion (1). Despite this, few abortions in the United States are done in the primary care setting (2). Potential reasons may be a lack of knowledge about abortion as well as the changing regulatory, insurance, and legal restrictions that limit abortion access (3). The accompanying cross-sectional analysis by Hwang and colleagues (4) offers a glimpse into the decreasing rate of abortion done by procedure during the COVID-19 pandemic in a commercially insured population. The ...References1. Serchen J, Erickson S, Hilden D; Health and Public Policy Committee of the American College of Physicians. Reproductive health policy in the United States: an American College of Physicians policy brief. Ann Intern Med. 2023;176:364-366. [PMID: 36848653] doi:10.7326/M22-3316 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Ranji U, Diep K, Salganicoff A. How much do abortions cost? In: Key Facts on Abortion in the United States. 29 August 2023. Accessed at www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/report/key-facts-on-abortion-in-the-united-states/#How-much-do-abortions-cost on 23 September 2023. Google Scholar3. Winsor R, Gold M, Thill Z. Exploring medication abortion training in an internal medicine primary care residency program. J Gen Intern Med. 2022;37:252-254. [PMID: 33782891] doi:10.1007/s11606-021-06706-8 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Hwang CS, Kesselheim AS, Sarpatwari A, et al. Changes in induced medical and procedural abortion rates in a commercially insured population, 2018 to 2022. An interrupted time-series analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2023;176:1508-1515. doi:10.7326/M23-1609 LinkGoogle Scholar5. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Questions and answers on mifepristone for medical termination of pregnancy through ten weeks gestation. 1 September 2023. Accessed at www.fda.gov/drugs/postmarket-drug-safety-information-patients-and-providers/questions-and-answers-mifepristone-medical-termination-pregnancy-through-ten-weeks-gestation on 17 September 2023. Google Scholar6. Gold RB, Nash E. TRAP laws gain political traction while abortion clinics—and the women they serve—pay the price. Guttmacher Policy Review. 2013;16:7-12. Google Scholar7. Raymond E, Chong E, Winikoff B, et al. TelAbortion: evaluation of a direct to patient telemedicine abortion service in the United States. Contraception. 2019;100:173-177. [PMID: 31170384] doi:10.1016/j.contraception.2019.05.013 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar8. Aiken ARA, Starling JE, Gomperts R, et al. Demand for self-managed online telemedicine abortion in the United States during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Obstet Gynecol. 2020;136:835-837. [PMID: 32701762] doi:10.1097/AOG.0000000000004081 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. Aiken ARA, Starling JE, Gomperts R. Factors associated with use of an online telemedicine service to access self-managed medical abortion in the US. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4:e2111852. [PMID: 34019085] doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.11852 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar10. Schwarz EB, Sobota M, Goodman S. Abortion Pill CME. Accessed at https://abortionpillcme.teachtraining.org on 24 September 2023. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Jennifer L. Michener, MD; Mindy Sobota, MD, MS, MPhilAffiliations: University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, ColoradoWarren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode IslandDisclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M23-2582.Corresponding Author: Jennifer L. Michener, MD, 1635 Aurora Court, Aurora, CO 80045; e-mail, jennifer.michener@cuanshutz.edu.This article was published at Annals.org on 24 October 2023. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoChanges in Induced Medical and Procedural Abortion Rates in a Commercially Insured Population, 2018 to 2022 Catherine S. Hwang , Aaron S. Kesselheim , Ameet Sarpatwari , Krista F. Huybrechts , Gregory Brill , and Benjamin N. Rome Metrics Current Issue November 2023Volume 176, Issue 11 Page: 1550-1551 Keywords Health care policy Obstetrics and gynecology Telemedicine Termination of pregnancy ePublished: 24 October 2023 Issue Published: November 2023 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2023 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...